The invention relates to methods and devices utilized to make bottles, fill them with liquid, and package the filled bottles, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for assisting in orienting bottles for packaging, filling and/or processing.
Blow molded plastic bottles have largely replaced the heavier glass bottles previously used for soft drinks, and the like. In commonly utilized two-liter and twenty-ounce bottles formed of plastic, the weight of the bottle itself is negligible as compared to the weight of glass bottles of similar capacity. The first plastic bottles were generally two piece bottles comprising a pressure vessel portion and base which permitted the bottle to stand upright on shelves, and the like. The pressure vessel portion was typically of a tough, flexible plastic (e.g. polyester) which became resiliently rigid for gripping due to the internal pressure created by the carbon dioxide gas in the soft drink liquid contained therein. The bottom was hemispherical and the separate base was required in order for the bottle be able to stand by itself. The base was typically of a plastic such as polyethylene and is attached over the bottom of the pressure vessel portion with adhesive.
One alternative to a two-piece construction is to create a bottle having a so-called xe2x80x9cchampagnexe2x80x9d base which resists the internal pressure. Inversion is a problem in such designs. In an attempt to avoid that problem, numerous bottle configurations have been proposed incorporating, for example, integral pressure-resistant ribs into the bottom of the bottle. More recently, bottle designs utilizing a petaloid base have been proposed. In all polyester (usually PET) bottles, weight is a very important consideration. Based on a conservative estimate of 5 billion bottles produced per year and a PET price of $(US) 1.54 per Kg($(US) 0.70 per pound), a 1-2 gram decrease in the PET content of a bottle would save approximately $(US) 7-14 million per year.
While many forming techniques and designs have been directed to the bases to reduce the amount of plastic in the base, few techniques and designs have been directed to the necks of the bottles. In most bottle designs, the top portion of the bottle has a neck finish having a set of male threads on an outer surface which mate with internal female threads in a cap. Below the neck finish on the bottle is a neck ring. This neck ring constitutes a relatively large portion of the plastic material utilized in the formation of the bottle.
Additionally, as most plastic bottles are substantially round, or at least curved, about their perimeter, there is a tendency for the bottles to spin during the travel through the various operations at a bottling plant such as filling, capping and/or packaging. There are some problems which can result from spinning bottles during the filling/capping, and packaging processes.
Furthermore, since most bottles are substantially round or ribbed about their perimeter, along any given cross section of the bottle, there is no easy way to orient these bottles for packing. For instance, if all of the labels are intended to face a certain direction for packaging as a six-pack, there is no easy way to orient the bottles, especially when spinning is occurring through the packaging equipment and process.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved neck ring and methods of its use and implementation during the filling, capping and packaging processes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a construction method and design for the neck ring of a one piece plastic bottle for containing carbonated beverages providing a smaller perimeter and/or using less material than prior art designs.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for utilizing the neck ring of a bottle to orient the bottle along the filling, capping and/or packaging process.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for reducing, if not eliminating spinning during the filling, capping and/or packaging process.
According to the invention there is provided a method and process of making a bottle having a neck with a positioner, preferably circumscribed within a circumference of a traditional neck ring, said positioner comprised of at least one distinguishable section so that the bottle may be oriented using a guide and/or sensor.
In the preferred embodiment, the positioner is comprised of a plurality of segments at least partially circumscribed within the circumference of a traditional neck ring with at least one segment having a different characteristic, such as a longer length, so that the neck ring may be sensed and oriented during the filling, capping and/or packaging steps. Specifically, by being able to orient the bottle during the application of labels and packaging, the orientation of the bottles in a packaged form may be pre-selected. During capping, the neck ring may be utilized to keep the bottle from spinning. By circumscribing the segments within the circumference of a traditional neck ring, the area defined by the circumference and segment represents plastic which is not utilized in the new design, and a cost savings to the bottle manufacturer. Finally, by having planar faces on the neck, the bottle may be retained and/or guided in areas where spinning has occurred with traditional substantially round neck rings and bottles.
The bottles are preferably constructed utilizing a blow molding process for producing a self-standing one-piece polyester container for carbonated beverages. The bottles are traditionally defined by a longitudinal axis and comprise a sidewall portion which is integral with and terminates at a lower portion in a closed base of a petaloid form defining at least three feet disposed about the longitudinal axis whereby the container is self standing. A neck ring is located at a top portion with the threads located above the neck ring. The improved neck ring comprises the positioner described above.